


A promise

by Slaskia



Series: Astral Aligned Continuity [32]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers: Prime
Genre: Comfort/Angst, Depression, Drinking, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-06
Updated: 2017-12-06
Packaged: 2019-02-11 05:50:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12928845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Slaskia/pseuds/Slaskia
Summary: Starscream is having one of his 'moments' and Jetfire is tasked with dealing with it.   He ends up learning shameful secret of his Air Commander in the process.





	A promise

Vos, Golden Age 

 _Jetfire’s lab_  

Jetfire watched the latest chemical reaction carefully.  _Hmm,_ _too much magnesium._ He set the beaker aside and picked up a fresh one to start a new mix.  Just as he was about to put in the critical elements, he heard a familiar sound.  He grabbed an empty beaker and tossed it in that direction with a scowl.  Jetfire heard an all too familiar sounding yelp as the beaker hit the wall behind him.  Only then did he turn around to face the intruder. 

“Skywarp,” he sneered, arms folding across his chest.  “How many times I have I told you _not_ to warp into my lab!  Frag, you are not supposed to come in here at all!” 

The black and purple seeker cowered a bit, wings low in submission.  “Sorry, Jetfire!” he cried, his wings twitching anxiously.  “But it’s an emergency!  The Boss is having one of his…fits.”  Jetfire just barely caught him muttering something about keeping to his weekly bathing schedule as he was ordered. 

“Thundercracker?” 

“Already tried!” Skywarp’s wings flicked anxiously before he added.  “He was kicked out.” 

Jetfire sighed and rubbed his head.  Starscream was a good Commander, kind and fair, but he did have a temper when certain buttons were pushed.  When that happened Thundercracker steps in to calm him down, but he was not always successful.  This was apparently one of those times, so he was called in.  

“Alright, where is he?” Jetfire asked. 

“His quarters…’Cracker said he’s been in the hi-grade…so….” 

 _Great…it’s one of ‘those’ fits…._   Starscream didn’t drink often, as he was a featherweight: stuck to seeker hi-grade when he did, as it didn’t put him into recharge as quick.  Jetfire knew from experience that when he _did_ drink it was usually more due to a depressive episode, at least, not pure rage.  Depressed Starscream often goes though quite a few moods, including rage. He knew to expect some damaged and destroyed furniture and unpredictable behavior. 

Jetfire quickly put away the more sensitive components in their proper places and a cleanup before heading out the door, Skywarp following him.  Once they were both outside, he turned sharply toward the other seeker.  “Next time… _comm me!_ ” 

“Where’s the fun in that?”  Skywarp got slapped in the back of the head for that. 

\-- 

 _Starscream’s quarters_  

Jetfire tried knocking on the door first, but predictably got no answer.  That’s when he put in his override code and let himself in. 

The place was a mess, as he predicted it would be.  Items of various state of intactness were scattered all over the floor.  There were few fresh claw marks on some of the furniture and walls.  By the door were a few broken glasses, at least one looked like it still had energon in it.  Jetfire surmised these must have been used to ‘tell’ Thundercracker to leave. 

As for the Air Commander himself, he was sprawled out on the couch.  An empty glass was hanging precariously off a claw, while there was half full bottle of hi-grade on the table close by.  Starscream was quiet, his optics closed, intakes slow and rhythmic:  he must have fallen into recharge after driving Thundercracker away. 

 _Perhaps I am not needed after all._   Still, best to stick around in case there’s a ‘round two’ when he wakes up.  In the meantime, he figured he get the place back to looking like an Air Commander’s quarters and not an apartment in the slums.  Besides, the mess was starting to get to him, despite not being in his lab. 

As he quietly straightened things up, he noticed a datapad laying on the table he hadn’t noticed before.  It was active.  Thinking it may hold a clue on what caused Starscream’s latest fit, he picked it up. 

It was a message from the High Council, but all it said was that his request was denied.  Flicking back to the main inbox, he saw more emails from the High Council, all with ‘Request Denied’…and there were quite a few of them.  _What was he requesting?_  

“Forty six.” 

Jetfire nearly dropped the datapad in surprize.  He saw Starscream looking at him, his optics half open.  “Forty-six what?” he asked.

“Forty-six denials…,” Starscream moaned as he tried to stand up.  He tittered then fell right back onto the couch again.  “Fragging…Council bastards….” 

“What were you requesting?” Jetfire cautiously sat down next to him after putting the datapad down.  “It had to be important if it got you this messed up over it.” 

The Air Commander was quiet for a while.  Jetfire would have thought he had gone into recharge again if it wasn’t for his open optics.  Then, he sat up and, much to his shock, started opening his chest panel.  “This….”  Starscream sighed forlornly. 

Jetfire gasped.  Hovering over his spark was a piece of metal, attached to the four corners of the chamber by sturdy bands.  It was a spark shield, meant to keep those with them from ever melding with another bot.  This one was of Quintesson make, from what he could tell of the design, suggesting he had this since their occupation.  “But…the High Council made a decree that all bots with those could get permission to have them removed with a proper request.…” he stated. 

“And lucky me…I’m the one bot with one from that era those fraggers decided to _not_ to give permission,” Starscream growled.  “Despite repeated requests.” 

“But why…the only bots that get those now are serious criminal offenders…you’re practically war hero!” 

“And apparently that’s not good enough for those stuffy headed fools!” Starscream snarled as he closed his chest panel.  “Worse…they won’t tell me _why_.” 

That really shocked him.  At the very least, Starscream deserved to know _why_ he was denied.  He may be difficult, even stubborn, at times, but the Air Commander _can_ be reasoned with if sufficient explanation was given.  “What do _you_ think the reason is?” he asked. 

Starscream made a loud snort as he poured himself a full glass of hi-grade.  “They probably found something in my records the Quintessons left behind,” he growled before swallowing the whole glass in one gulp.  “Something related to what those tentacled bastards did to me in my early life.” 

Jetfire pressed his lips together tightly in thought.  Starscream was willing to talk to him about anything, but what happened to him during the first few vorns after he emerged from the Well was one of the very few things he refused to talk about to anyone.  In fact, he wouldn’t be surprised if the Air Commander made himself forget.  He decided to change the topic slightly.  “When did you start making these requests?” 

“The first time was after the Council made that declaration,” Starscream said softly, having poured another glass.  He was, however, just staring at it, swirling it around slowly with a lost expression on his face.  “Mostly on principle then.  When I was rejected I didn’t think much of it…as I hadn’t planned on getting into a relationship anyway.  That is…until….”  He vented a long sigh, his optics closing. 

Jetfire knew immediately what he was thinking of.  Or rather _who_.  “Quickwing…,” he stated softly, to which Starscream nodded.  Before her, Starscream hadn’t been interested in any kind of relationships beyond friendship, she had changed that.  Her sudden death had left him an emotional wreck for joors.  Jetfire suspected he was still recovering from it, all these vorns later.  “Did she know?” 

Starscream nodded once, before draining his current glass.  “She even helped me draft a few of my requests,” he stated.  “She was just as confused about as I was…am…ugh….”  He swayed and ended up leaning against him.  That last glass must have tipped him from ‘buzzed’ to ‘drunk’, or at least very close to it.  Yet, he was still reaching for the bottle for another refill.  

“I think that’s enough hi-grade for you,” Jetfire sighed as he artfully snatched it out of the Air Commander’s reach and putting it on the floor behind the couch.  Starscream made a pitiful whine, but didn’t persist.  “I’m assuming you kept making these requests in memory of her?” 

“Partly….” He was leaning heavily into him now, his optics at half-mast.  “I do want to…have a bond mate someday.” 

“Even without knowing _why_ you have a spark shield in the first place?” 

“It should be _my_ choice to make…not theirs!”  Starscream spat, growling.  

“I agree,” Jetfire said quickly, hoping to avoid a full outburst.  Fortunately, Starscream’s fit of anger was very brief and was solemn now.  “How many know?”  he dared to ask. 

“Aside from the Council?  Just you…now.” Came the answer.  “Please…don’t tell anyone.  If someone like Silverdive….” 

“Silverdive is dead,” Jetfire reminded him.  “You killed him…remember?” 

“Oh…yes that’s right….”  A sinister grin spread across the silver seeker’s face.  Silverdive had been his bitter rival since the Air Academy and was the bot responsible for Quickwing’s death.  While he had tried to cover it up, he was eventually discovered and not only stripped of his Air Commander rank, but exiled.  Yet the slagger still tried to hurt Starscream further, so the Air Commander had eventually tracked him down and ‘taught him a lesson’.  ‘Officially’, Silverdive was killed by bandits, but everyone with two circuits in their processor knew what really had happened.  “Ripping that slagface’s wings off was _so_ much fun….” Starscream drawled sinisterly. 

Jetfire shuddered.  He hadn’t _approved_ of Starscream’s method of ‘punishing’ Silverdive, but after what he saw happened to Quickwing…he certainly understood _why_.  

Starscream was starting to shudder as he broke down into sobs.  Jetfire wrapped an arm around the smaller seeker’s frame and started to rub his shoulder.  “It…it’s not fair….” Starscream cried. 

“I know…,” Jetfire agreed softly.  

“I’ve been…a good bot…,” he rambled softly between sobs.  “Why?  Why…keep this on me?  What…have I done to…deserve this?” 

“I don’t know, Star….”  

Starscream suddenly crawled into his lap, his hands clinging to his shoulders and his face pressed against his chest.  Awkward, but Jetfire had him do this before, so he didn’t mind.  The larger seeker wrapped his arms around the smaller frame in a comforting hug.  “It will be alright…. 

”Don’t leave me…,” Starscream sobbed, his frame still shaking.  “I don’t want to be alone….” 

“Don’t worry, I won’t.  I’ll always be here for you…I promise….” 

Moments later Starscream was in deep recharge.  After carrying him to his berth and tucking him in, Jetfire returned to the living room and continued tiding up the place.  He gave a passing glance at the datapad and shook his head. 

What damning secret did the Council have on his Air Commander and best friend?  He wanted to know, but if not even an Air Commander of Vos could get an answer, what chance would a lowly scientist like him have?  Jetfire sighed.  There was nothing he could do but continue to be supportive and keep this secret from the others was he asked.  

Some promises, however…could not be kept.  Not when so much more was at stake than one sensitive spark….

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, there'll likely be more one-offs/shorts spinning off this one eventually....


End file.
